Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Tell me a little about yourself...

I'm from the treasure coast of Florida, 29, born here and currently reside here, but I've lived all over the country from the east coast to the west. MCHL SHVA stands for Michael Shiva, I enjoy all mediums of creation including recently adding music production to the line up. I enjoy sunsets, long walks. My cat is the only one who loves me (when I feed her at least).

When did you become interested in music? What made you want to start producing?

There are many musicians that have been in and out of my life, from family to friends and girlfriends. Most notably being my father, he's been a singer-songwriter my whole life, we don't get along or reside anywhere near each other but I can't deny my earlier exposure to the, 'independent musician' coming from him. He's a big Bowie fan so I'd say my music journey started from stealing his Bowie albums to very quickly finding circus mags at the cousins houses and venturing off on my own with a typical 90s git shock rock journey ahead of me. Huge Reznor fan from a very early age. Music is sacred, my intention was always to make noise, but life plays out the way it does. In 2012 my life changed when I found a new found love for music thru acts like Blvck Ceiling, Silver Strain, Dead Virgin, ceremonial dagger, SINS, glass teeth, etc. I kept mainly to myself and the music for the last few years and recently took the plunge into sound design after feeling a lack of being able to 'move thru and evolve' in the other mediums I was working in.

Would you say these artists also influence your music as well? Are there any other factors that play into your influences when you write music?

Without any doubt. I'm very particular about my music and I consume quite a bit of it, up until a few years ago I had been listening to the same stuff for the past decade as if there was some hidden message I hadn't been able to decipher yet for all the answers to my earthly problems. When I started seeing upside down smiley faces and other related 'mirror' imagery creeping thru Tumblr I got to the bottom of it and never looked back. I think these artists had inadvertently givin' me an answer, Evolution, DIY expression by any means necessary. When I'm making something regardless of the how or when, It's always from a place of personal experience. In anything I do I attempt to send a message either forward or backward in time to myself. Like a message in a bottle. 2 never forget.

Lastly, what do get from making music? Do you seek fame or fandom, is this just a creative outlet, or something different entirely?

That's a good question, something that affects every human in my opinion, we're raised to have a very outward and reciprocated or they don't love me, mentality about ourselves. And the individuals perception of how others perceive them becomes increasing important as the individual puts more of themselves out there. This is a double-edged sword, in that at the end of the day even the person or persons you hold dearly in your existence won't be there when you leave this place we all coexist in. 'They', have us chasing our tails with a smile on our faces and look of 'can they see me' across our grins. This is a bad thing, obviously. But it can't hurt to note it and attempt some thought or meditation against it to gather your own self-worth in the process. I as well suffer from this, as do we all, but 'we give each other strength' in this matter I believe. So I often run to the wilderness for guidance and to get away from, others. What I get from making music is actual small antidotes for moments in time I couldn't describe properly or move thru verbally or with a pen or with a spray can, etc. These 'antidotes' to my personal dilemmas are a personal thing, therefore I make things for myself, regardless of the audience. And I am okay with that.